Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Routine Questioning

In a formal reception room in the main building of the Daoist Scripture Hall.

Three cups of tea steamed beside Wang Ping and the two Daoists. Wang Ping and the Entering Cultivator sat in the host’s and primary guest’s seats, respectively, while the other Qi Cultivator sat in the first seat on the left.

The Entering Cultivator was named Lan Chen’an. He spoke with the forthrightness of a northerner and had a habit of fiddling with his jade thumb ring. The Qi Cultivator was named Lan Shiliu. He was extremely polite, but his courtesy had a rigid, almost robotic quality that felt unsettling.

The Daoist Scripture Hall headquarters had seven groups of Qi Cultivators, organized and named according to the colors of the rainbow. The "Lan" (Blue) group specialized in investigating internal disputes among members. Since their investigations often ended with them mediating, they subconsciously tended to speak and act with a smile.

None of the three men spoke at the moment, as two Daoist Children were still in the room, arranging refreshments and dried fruits.

After quietly waiting for the Daoist Children to finish and leave the room, Wang Ping lifted his teacup and took a small sip. It was, as he’d expected, salty, with a hint of spice. He decisively set the cup down, looked at Lan Chen’an beside him, and said, "Fellow Daoist, please feel free to ask whatever you wish. I promise to tell you everything I know."

"Excellent!"

Lan Chen’an was very pleased with Wang Ping’s attitude. He picked up his own cup, took a shallow sip, and asked bluntly, "Were you responsible for the destruction of the White Water Sect?"

It was an obvious trap. When Wang Ping had left, there was nothing wrong with the White Water Sect. Besides, there hadn’t been any news about it on Mozhou Road yet. ’But then again,’ he thought, ’logically, for something this major, Yu Cheng Taoist should have sent me an urgent message via one of the Daoist Scripture Hall’s flying cranes.’

’This guy might look all smiles, but he’s rotten to the core.’

’How should I answer?’

After a lightning-fast moment of thought, Wang Ping had a plan. He first feigned the perfect amount of surprise, then paused for half a beat before frowning and asking, "Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that?"

"You don’t know, Fellow Daoist?"

"Should I?"

Wang Ping retorted, then explained, "For the past few days, I’ve been investigating the case of the stolen Corpse Soldiers from the Mozhou Road Earth Cave Prison. I spent days sitting up in the sky. I’d barely landed and said two words before you two showed up at my door."

He pointed to the sky as he spoke, and as soon as he finished, he immediately asked, "The White Water Sect was destroyed? Are you sure?"

"You seem pleased."

Wang Ping said matter-of-factly, "Of course. Qianmu Temple and the White Water Sect have always had a feud. Even though it’s a matter from the previous generation, I accepted my master’s legacy, so naturally, I have a responsibility to inherit that grudge!"

As Wang Ping spoke, Lan Chen’an kept his teacup raised, observing him.

When Wang Ping finished, Lan Chen’an glanced at Lan Shiliu, who was taking rapid notes. He pondered for a moment before saying, "The White Water Sect was destroyed by the Power Pills you created."

"That’s impossible!" Wang Ping shook his head decisively.

"But it’s the truth. The entire White Water Sect vanished into thin air. All eyewitnesses said they saw the sect enveloped in the five-colored light of a Power Pill explosion, followed by a sky full of white powder. When one of our Senior Patrol Officers arrived, he also sensed the residual aura of Power Pills."

Lan Chen’an spoke unhurriedly, blowing on the hot steam in his teacup as he talked. "Furthermore, the White Water Sect’s ancestor, Bai Zhuo, who has been in seclusion at the bottom of the lake, insists that Power Pills destroyed his sect. He even says you were the one who did it."

"That’s absurd. If I had that kind of power, the White Water Sect would have been gone long ago." Wang Ping immediately refuted it. "This accusation is completely illogical."

Lan Chen’an and Lan Shiliu exchanged a glance. Then, Lan Shiliu politely asked, "This junior has a question, if I may ask for Daoist Changqing’s guidance."

Hearing this, Wang Ping turned his head, picked up his teacup again, and mimicked Lan Chen’an by blowing on the steam. Just then, Yu Lian spoke in his Spirit Sea, "A very faint soul is trying to peer into your consciousness. Should I block it?"

’No need!’ After so many years of cultivation, something as simple as calming his mind and steadying his spirit was second nature to Wang Ping.

"Although our investigation’s findings are hard to believe, the White Water Sect was indeed consumed by the energy of a Power Pill explosion. Four Entering Cultivators were among those killed in an instant, leaving not even a trace behind!"

Lan Shiliu didn’t speak as casually as Lan Chen’an. Each of his words came out slowly, as if he were carefully considering his phrasing. "We theorize this might be the effect of tens of thousands of Power Pills detonating simultaneously. If I may be so bold as to ask, Senior, what is the driving force behind the Power Pills you refine that could cause its victims to disintegrate into white powder and vanish into the air?"

Wang Ping pretended to think for a moment before answering, "To your first question, I’ve never experimented with that, so I don’t know. As for the second, I believe many people have studied the Power Pill..." He looked at Lan Chen’an next to him. "Fellow Daoist, surely you know the answer to that question?"

"It is driven by the Five Elements Spiritual Qi, the fundamental source of this world’s Spiritual Qi. The name you chose, Fellow Daoist, perfectly explains its origin. Its structure is both stable and fragile. The moment a trace of Spiritual Qi is injected, it self-detonates. Even a Great Realm Cultivator can only conceal it, not stop it. Its function is like a fixed law of nature."

After explaining this, Lan Chen’an asked, "I heard that you, Fellow Daoist, discovered the refinement method in the ruins of the Ancient Demon Race?"

"That’s right!"

"Were there many people there at the time?"

"Many. At least a hundred people saw that diagram."

"Is it possible..." Lan Chen’an considered this, then asked, "Is it possible that there’s another way to refine the Power Pill, one which, if successful, would yield enough power to destroy the White Water Sect?"

He then added, "This is a very important question. Please think carefully before you answer, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Ping knew why the Daoist Scripture Hall was so nervous. After all, such an uncontrollable power was terrifying. If Evil Cultivators got their hands on it, it would be game over for all the other cultivators in the Daoist Scripture Hall.

"If..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Wang Ping had only said one word when Lan Shiliu, looking slightly tense, picked up his pen to take notes. "I’m speaking hypothetically, of course. If the spiritual essence of the materials were powerful enough, it might be possible. It would need to be an essence with sufficient vitality."

"For example?"

"For example, various Celestial and Earthly Treasures... Put it this way, if you were to refine one using Celestial and Earthly Treasures, I estimate its power could rival a newly ascended Entering Cultivator. However, that would require the True Essence of a much High Realm Cultivator to support the refinement energy needed. Moreover, the cost of each pill would be at least five or six million taels of silver. Oh, and the failure rate would be extremely high!"

Wang Ping met Lan Chen’an’s gaze. "To achieve the effect you’re describing, I think you would need at least five Power Pills of that level, combined into a special Array. The cost for that would be in the tens of millions of taels."

That’s right, he was just spouting plausible nonsense.

...

The three of them talked for an hour.

As they were parting, Lan Chen’an offered a reminder, "Once Senior Bai Zhuo is done with his questioning at the Daoist Scripture Hall, he will certainly come for you immediately. Without the protection of the Baisui Lake’s underground water veins, his death is already a foregone conclusion. When he comes for you, it will be with the intention of taking you down with him. You’d best stay in the city for the time being."